The Riverhounds were founded by Paul Heasley in 1999 as a member of the USL's A-League, now known as USL-1. They initially played their home games in Bethel Park, at Bethel Park High School's football stadium. That same year, the Riverhounds were named the A-League Organization of the Year. John Kowalski was the first head coach of the club; Justin Evans was the first player drafted to play for the Riverhounds. In their 1999 inaugural season, they advanced to the conference semi-finals in the A-league playoffs. Two years later in 2001, they reached the US Open Cup quarterfinals after beating the Colorado Rapids of the Major League Soccer and then-A-league opponent El Paso Patriots in their first two games, but the Hounds were eliminated in the quarterfinals by their second MLS opponent of the tournament, the Chicago Fire, in a two-overtime, 3–2 defeat. The Riverhounds have not reached that level of success since that time due in large part to undergoing multiple ownership and location changes.

In 2004, the club moved down to the USL's Second Division. The team also moved to Moon Township to play at Moon Area High School's football stadium for just one season. In December 2004, Heasley sold the team to Sports Facility LLC, owners of the Washington Wild Things baseball team of the Frontier League.[5] The Riverhounds played both the 2005 and 2006 seasons at the Wild Things' minor league baseball stadium, Consol Energy Park, on the outskirts of Washington, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles (48 km) south of Pittsburgh. The franchise continued to hold soccer academies and training to youth across the Tri-State Area, but did not play during the 2007 season due to a structural reorganization. During that hiatus, the Riverhounds were sold yet again to a new ownership group.

In 2012, the Riverhounds moved into their current home, Highmark Stadium, in Pittsburgh's SouthSide neighborhood.

The Riverhounds' games were broadcast from 2000 through 2002 on WPTT-AM (now WMNY-AM) and on Fox Sports Radio – WBBG-AM in 2003, and 2005 and 2006, and on WPIT-AM in 2008 by Chris Shovlin. Shovlin was partnered with former Riverhound midfielder Steve Bell on WPTT and with former assistant coach Paul Child on Fox Sports Radio. Shovlin and Bell won the 2003 Pittsburgh March of Dimes A.I.R. Award for Best Play-by-play. Shovlin also served as the team's Director of Publicity during the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

Only one jersey number, "99", has been officially retired by the Riverhounds. That honor was bestowed upon original owner Paul Heasley for founding the club in 1999.

The Riverhound colors – black, blue, and white – were adopted before the start of the 2008 season to honor their academy and training partnership with Everton FC of the Premier League.[9][10] The use of blue is an allusion to the blue collar populace of Pittsburgh.

The term "Riverhound" is derived from the expression "river dog," which refers to Pittsburgh's barge-workers. In fact, the team's mascot, AMO, is named for the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers.

In November 2007, the first supporters group of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds was formed, The Steel Army. The Steel Army held their first meeting at Piper's Pub in Pittsburgh's South Side. The group started as 5–10 local people interested in supporting the reorganized Riverhounds Soccer Club and to support the efforts of growing the sport of soccer in Western Pennsylvania as well.

Members are not only from Pittsburgh but also from states as close as Ohio to states as far away as Oregon and Florida. Membership in the Steel Army is now even international with members joining the group from Sunderland and Surrey in the U.K., as well as Bray, in the Republic of Ireland, who will be following the Riverhounds from abroad.

The section of Highmark Stadium where the Steel Army stands and supports the Riverhounds is located at the South Gate end of the stadium. The terrace there holds 502 supporters, with talks of possible expansion. The Steel Army has a fierce rivalry with fellow USL PRO clubs Harrisburg City Islanders (Sons of Susquehanna) and the Rochester Rhinos (Genesee Armada).

This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.

There is a great deal of excitement these days at Pittsburgh Riverhounds headquarters, as the leadership trio of head coach Mark Steffens, sporting director Jason Kutney and president Richard Nightingale work to finalize the team's revitalized roster ...

The revamped Pittsburgh Riverhounds will play 14 home games at Highmark Stadium in their upcoming 2015 regular-season schedule, as announced Monday by the USL Pro league office. Pittsburgh, which finished the 2014 season out of the playoffs after ...

PITTSBRUGH - The University of Pittsburgh men's soccer game with the USL Pittsburgh Riverhounds has been rescheduled for Wednesday, March 4 at 6 p.m at Highmark Stadium. The game, which was previously slated for Feb. 24, was postponed due to ...

HUNTINGTON, W.VA. - The Marshall Men's soccer team's game against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, scheduled for Sunday, has been postponed due to inclement weather, according to a statement by the Riverhounds. There is no announcement yet for a ...

The Black Knights kick off their spring slate with a pair of games against professional clubs, beginning with a match-up against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the United Soccer League (USL) on Sunday, March 8 in Pittsburgh, Pa. Army will then take a ...

The Marshall men's soccer team has added a game to its spring exhibition season by scheduling WVU Tech for Sunday, Mar. 8 at 4:30 p.m., Head Coach Bob Gray announced today. The game will be played at Hoops Family Field at Veterans Memorial ...

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